Aymée

A bra that encourages (ex-) breast cancer patients to be physically active

Current research evidence suggests many health benefits from physical activity (PA) during and post cancer treatments (Speck et al. 2010) such as reduce the risk of death from this disease (Holmes et al. 2005). Moreover, research evidence suggests that a considerable part of breast cancer patients experienced body image and sexual problems (Fobair et al. 2005).

For this purpose, Aymée was designed: a personalized bra that encourages former breast cancer patients to be more physically active by additionally stimulating the wearer to feel good about herself. When the wearer reaches her desired PA level and wants to reflect upon this, Aymée will change from a ‘normal’ dark bra to a bra that reveals a beautiful pattern.

The transformation within Aymée aims to stimulate reflection moments on the daily PA level. However, by linking the PA level with a pattern on a bra, which is directly associated with the place of the cancer, a psychological effect is pursued: Aymée aims to complement the overall appearance of the wearer and stimulates the feeling of self-enhancement by encouraging her to feel proud of her achievement.